Relevant Life

Rom 12:9-21 GW  Love sincerely. Hate evil. Hold on to what is good.  (10)  Be devoted to each other like a loving family. Excel in showing respect for each other.  (11)  Don\’t be lazy in showing your devotion. Use your energy to serve the Lord.  (12)  Be happy in your confidence, be patient in trouble, and pray continually.  (13)  Share what you have with God\’s people who are in need. Be hospitable.  (14)  Bless those who persecute you. Bless them, and don\’t curse them.  (15)  Be happy with those who are happy. Be sad with those who are sad.  (16)  Live in harmony with each other. Don\’t be arrogant, but be friendly to humble people. Don\’t think that you are smarter than you really are.  (17)  Don\’t pay people back with evil for the evil they do to you. Focus your thoughts on those things that are considered noble.  (18)  As much as it is possible, live in peace with everyone.  (19)  Don\’t take revenge, dear friends. Instead, let God\’s anger take care of it. After all, Scripture says, \”I alone have the right to take revenge. I will pay back, says the Lord.\”  (20)  But, \”If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink. If you do this, you will make him feel guilty and ashamed.\”  (21)  Don\’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil with good.

Christianity today is becoming more and more blurred as relativism ( leven) mixes with the truth. It is hard to determine how Christians should act and believe. The word of the Lord is very clear on what being a Christian should really be like. We simply have to follow His word and pattern our lives after Jesus. It truly is about what would Jesus do.

Below is the break down on what is the mark of a believer.

1. Love Sincerely:  Love has to be given without hypocrisy and with a sincere heart. In other words, Christians should love without strings attached and do so with a genuine heart.
2. Hate evil: Hating evil means despising every thing that goes against the nature of God. Sin, not individuals, should be hated. Hating evil reveals how sin is very destructive.
3. Hold On to what is good: It is clear that we should hold tight to the doctrines of Christ and to his message. We should not hold tight to the religion of men.
4. Don\’t be Lazy in showing devotion to the Lord: True devotion is passionate and life changing. Our daily walk with the Lord is just that a daily walk. Every day our devotion should him should be demonstrated and lived.
5. Use your energy to serve the Lord: Be fervent in following the living God. Give everything you got in serving the Lord. Be extreme and relentless in your faith!!!
6. Be happy in your confidence. Be happy in the gospel message. Know with confidence that this truth we have is the greatest truth in the world.
7. Be patient in Trouble: A true mark of a believer is how he or she acts during the time of trouble. Be patient and allow the Lord to teach you through the difficult times.
8. Pray continually: Believers should be in constant prayer. Praying without ceasing means our direct line to the Father is always open and available. Prayer has two parts. 25% speaking and 75% listening.
9. Share your life and resources with others in need: One thing is for sure believers should always share all of our resources with each other. Unfortunately, this does not seem to translate well in today\’s church setting. Our life and resources are not meant to be stored up for a rainy day; they are meant to help each other when the need occurs. We are in this together.
10. Be hospitable: The greatest trade mark of believers is how we are hospitable to others. This means having folks over for dinner or entertaining each other during fellowship times.
11. Bless those who persecute you: The hardest thing to do is bless or love those who are mean to you. The bible is very clear that believers don\’t lose sight on who is the real enemy. Not the people who do bad things to us but the enemy we can\’t see. SATAN.
12. Comfort each other in good and bad times: Here is where prophecy and edification truly comes into affect. Believers are meant to lift each other up.
13. Live in Harmony with each other: It is important that believers strive to live in harmony with all people regardless of race, religion, and so forth. Harmony does not mean to over look sin but to keep a balanced approach to relationships.
14. Don\’t be arrogant or prideful: Christians should never think they are smarter or better than others. Many Christians make the mistake of forgetting where they came from before Jesus entered their lives. Always stay humble.
15. Don\’t return evil for evil: It is so easy to get revenge on others that have hurt you but it is not God\’s perfect will for our lives. God is the avenger for his people.
16. Let your thoughts be on noble things. Christians should always be honest and should never lie. They should express noble thoughts. Christians should be the staple of integrity and always do the right thing.
17. Live in peace with everyone. This is different than living in harmony. This means that believers should do everything they can to live calm and peaceful moments with all.
18. Don\’t get revenge. Remember God is our true and only Avenger. We never have to get even with others for the wrong things they do to us.
19. Love your enemies. It is hard to love individuals who have hurt us deeply. You have to remember that your enemies are not your enemies but your mission.
20. Don\’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil with good. The life of a Christian is to daily become more and more like Jesus. Conquer evil by pushing it away and embracing the goodness of the Lord. Righteousness breeds holiness.

These are just 20 marks of a true believer in Christ. It is not an all exclusive list but gives us a start on how to act and live our lives as true believers.